The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1887-02-11

Mitchell, Of Oregon, to b, 8. Hunting
ton, Esq, Secretary Board Of Trade,
Dalles City, Oregon, on tho Interstate
Commerce Bill, We pahlish By request !:
UNITED STATES SENATE,
WASHINGTON, D. O., January, 81, 1887.
My DEAR Sin ]; As you have been
informed by telegraph, tho Senate has
concurred in the report Of the Confer
ence Committee oa the Interstate Com
merce Bill, and the bill as agreed on in
conference has passed the Senate with
out smsndmenss and in all probability
will be agreed TO by the House, and
become a Law.
hope sincerely the bill will have the
effect Of meeting the expectations Of
shippers and remedying the grays diff
6culties, and prohibiting the gross dls.
ordinations upon the part Of transpor.
tation companies Of exacting greater
shsrgea for the transportation Of persons
and property over shorter than longer
hanls--and TO some Of which unjust
exsctions my attention was recently at
trac,ed by communication frou a
committee OF your Board. That IL will
have this effect, however, at least on
points Of Ahipment ia Eastern Oregon
aud Washington Territory east Of Una
tilla Junction, or on points in Middle
and Southern Oregon, / have very sc.
rlvzs doubts and whether II win meet
the question Of loLg and short haul on
points on tho river between Portland
aud UmatillA Junction, in Oregon and
Washington Territory, may admit Of
the most serious question.
The bill, andeF the rules, could not
be amended ia the Senate. The only
way in which any amendment could be
reached vas by reeomnitsing tho report
Of the Conference Committee With sug.
ges,ions. | submitted certain amend
ments, and with view Of placing the
bill 10 a position where they could be
considered and adopted, voted 10 re-
commit to The Conference Committee,
thereby hoPing to secure such amend.
ments as would make the bill certain
aud effective in absolutely prohibiting
greater charges for q short haul than
long haul but failing in securing any
amendment, voted for the bill on iss
final passage, trusting, a. | have said,
although with serious apprehension,
that il may afford some relief, 81 least,
from the unjust Determinations, grow
ing out Of charges by common carriers,
a. ID done 10 many instances Of more,
aud sometimes more than ionbls, and
even treble, for transporting persons
aud property over q shorterI than .
longer distance. Besides, there s,e, ~
believe, some other provisions in the
bill that will prove Of mach vslue to
the producer, shipper and consumer.
A few Of thu eyil., and what are be-
lieyed BY the people Of Oregon end
Washington Territory TO bs unjust dis
examinations in this matter Of transpor-
tation, and which arc apparent to al,
may be briefly stated tbua- -and some
of which only we've indicated in the
Communication te me from your Board
hersinbefore referred to:
II II we'll known that the tariff on
all classes offreight from Portland to
the interior over the lines OF the Ore
gon Railway and Navigation Company
and Oregon and California Railroad
Company are infinitely higher to points
beyond the hrst few stations out on the
various lines frcm Portland than they
are BY any Of the transcontinentsl lines
from Chicago or st. Louis TO Portland I;
as, for instance, coffee, sugaF, bacan,
hams, water pipe, pig-iroD, and like
articles are from $l2 to $l4 per ton
from Chicago or St. Louis to Portland,
while from Portland to Pendleton, Or,
these same articles are SO per ton !;
and from Portland to Eugene City,
Springfield, RosebHrg, Riddles, Grants
Pass, Central Point, Medford, and Ash
land from $S to the former to s 8 60. 100
per tor to the latter, while the freight
charge en- many articles Of freight are
as much as $50 per ton over the same
distance.
But again, referring to the Viewpoints
along the line Of the Oregon Railway
and Navigation Company in Oregon
and Washington Territory, and to the
matter Of transportation between these
various points and Eastern cities, it
will be seen that car load Of merchan-
disc to any Of these way-points from
Chicago or Omaha or. st. Louis Is de-
Iiyered at such poist without going
through to Portland, and tho freight
charges thereon consist of the full
through rate to Portland, plus the local
rate on merchandise from Portland to
the way-point. This local rate between
Portland and these way-pcints bears
relation to the through rates to Portland